Apple unveil New iToaster

US firm Apple has confirmed its long awaited venture into the kitchen appliance industry, unveiling the long-awaited iToaster at the next Macworld Expo.

As well as browning bread, users will be able to download music and videos onto the toaster's internal hard drive demonstrated by Apple boss Steve Jobs at the annual event in San Francisco.

Mr Jobs hailed the toaster's design telling the large assembly of shareholders that "this new magical device" would "force people to rethink their whole approach to toasting bread.

Music and toast fans will have to shell out between $899 to $999 to own one of the first batch of iToasters, due on the shelves in the US in June and Europe later this year. Apple say the product will reach Africa sometime close to 2014.

Apple is not yet saying how much the iToaster will cost in the UK, but using the comparison of a Mac mini computer the 4 gigabyte (GB) model would be about £700.

The announcement ended months of speculation about the iToaster, which has no conventional buttons, or heat setting knobs, and instead uses a large touch-screen located at the side of the toaster.

"It looks absolutely beautiful", technology writer, Frank Haggis said after seeing the product for the first time.

"It would be so easy to make a toaster of this nature a bit gawdy looking and tack but Apple have it looking as tasteful as melted cheese on toast".

Also revealed at the Macworld Expo were preliminary models of the forthcoming iKettle, a 2 litre capacity device designed to stream music and movies from a computer to the living room while simultaneously boiling water.

Of the iKettle, nicknamed the "Steaming streamer" Jobs remarked, "We all know how restless one becomes while waiting for a kettle to boil. Soon though we can enjoy the latest movies and music releases while waiting for that steam to appear. Cups of tea will never have tasted so sweet".

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